BJ Shea

BJ Shea

BJ'S BLOG 04/11/13 "Hooters in Trouble"

by BJ Shea,posted Apr 11 2013 10:00AM

Yesterday on the show, we read a story about a Hooters waitress that is suing the company!
Sandra Lupo is a 27-year-old Hooters waitress from Missouri. Last summer, she had to undergo brain surgery to remove a large mass. The surgery resulted in her having to buzz all her hair off.

The manager allegedly told her to wear a wig when she came back to work but she refused because it irritated her wound. Her hours were allegedly cut down to the point where she was forced to quit.

Lupo has decided to sue the franchise in federal court for violating the Missouri Human Rights Act saying that they discriminated against her disability. Lupo's lawsuit alleges that her surgery wound constituted as a disability.

This is really a difficult situation for both parties. There are many occupations that do hire based on looks like acting, dancing, and Hooters is known for having attractive women as their servers.
At the same time, I understand that Lupo needed to make money while she was healing.

I really think that we need a better system in place when someone is sick/healing and can’t work.

I’ve seen how some hospitals just push patients out the door before their ready and the sad truth is that they immediately have to go back t o work to pay for their medical expenses.

If we had a better system in place, Lupo could had rested, had more time to let her wound heal and not worry about how she is going to pay for her bills.

Give the girl some lighter duty while she heals and let her wear a scarf on her head. She could work as a hostess for a while or work at the t-shirt/souvenir counter, roll silverware, fill ketchup bottles, hand out menus, whatever...It's not that difficult. The manager is just a Douche could have easily found ways to keep her working, respect her as a person, and allow her time to heal.
But, on the grander scale, Hooter's should provide temporary disability insurance for its workers - expensive...maybe? More expensive that the multimillion-dollar settlement this girl will get? Don't think so.